11/12/2012

Majority wants to scrap the EU application

Most Icelanders want to withdraw their country's application to join the European Union according to a new public opinion poll produced by Capacent Gallup for Heimssýn, the Icelandic movement opposed to EU membership, and published today.

53.5 percent want to scrap the EU application according to the poll while 36.4 percent wish to maintain it. The rest was uncertain. If only those in favour of withdrawing the application or opposed to it are counted 59.5 percent want the application scrapped while 40.5 percent want to carry on with it.

Similar poll was produced by Capacent Gallup for Heimssýn in June 2011 where 51 percent wanted to withdraw the EU application while 38.5 percent were opposed to that. According to that support for scrapping the application has grown while oppositon to that has decreased.

The difference between this outcome and polls about whether or not Icelanders want to actually join the EU is due to the fact that a small part of those opposed to membership want to the issue to go to an eventual referendum and be rejected by the people.